


Back to the Start

by Lukenthius



Series: Plot Bunnies [3]
Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Gen, Kratos is a Bad Father, Lloyd Lives Life as a Video Game, STORY CUTS OFF SUDDENLY!!, THIS IS A PLOT BUNNY!, The Gamer AU, not finished!!, reincarnation - sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 02:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lukenthius/pseuds/Lukenthius
Summary: When Lloyd dies during a battle with Mithos, The Fates intervene and send him back two days before his journey began.They say hindsight is 20/20. What do you do when you know how everything is going to turn out and try to stoop it from happening? How much CAN you change without making things worse?





	1. And They Were Never Heard From Again

** AND THEY WERE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN **

What? Who’s there?

** HMM. INTERESTING... **

SHOW YOURSELF!!

** CALM YOUSELF, MORTAL. THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC. **

Who are you? What is going on? Why can’t I see?!

** YOUR KIND ARE NOT MEANT TO BE IN THIS REALM... MAYBE MY SISTERS HAVE SOME PLANS FOR YOU... **

Your sisters? Who are you?

** I AM THE CLOSEST THING TO A GOD YOU ARE EVER GOING TO MEET. **

...

** HMM... **

What?

** AS I SAID. NOW, WHAT TO DO WITH YOU? HMM... **

Please, I have to get back. My friends need me. We have to beat Mithos and save the world!

**... HMMM... GO BACK? YES... MAYBE... ALRIGHT. I’LL SEND YOU BACK. TO THE BEGINNING. DON’T MESS UP HISTORY TOO MUCH, MY SIBLINGS AND I DO NOT TAKE KINDLY TO PEOPLE DESTROYING TIME. **

What are you saying?

** HMMM. PERHAPS A SMALL... GIFT... TO ASIST YOU. DO NOT FAIL THIS TIME. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF MITHOS! **

What?

** DO _NOT_ FAIL ME, LLOYD IRVING! YOU WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE. **

AHHHHHH!!!!!!


	2. The Manual

Lloyd sat up with a start. His vision swam for a moment before it cleared. He was in his room. He could see much more clearly than before though. He looked down at his lap, there was a book there... What was that? He picked it up and opened the front page.

_Lloyd Irving. Don’t panic. My brother, Death, sent you back in time without any instruction. He is rather anti-social like that. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Fate. As in, I rule everyone’s fate for the length of their natural life. Unfortunately, Mithos outlived his natural life a few thousand years ago so I have no rule over him. This also means he can overrule my plans for other people._

_I know this must be very confusing for you but please, bear with me. My sister, Destiny, and I had great things in mind for you. We normally don’t pick favourites and we definitely don’t interfere with their lives more than necessary but you are a special case._

_You will not be able to remember the last full twenty four hours of your life but that is no matter. There are more important things than remembering how you died. It was slow and painful anyway so be glad you don’t remember._

_This manual details how to use the gifts my siblings and I have given you._

_Use them well._

_I have all faith that you will succeed this time._

_Fate._

_Ps. Don’t tell anyone your from the future. Don’t reveal major events before they happen. Don’t save Corinne, we have bigger plans for the little fox than what he is right now. You can’t save marble or Genis won’t get his Exsphere and he needs that. You can ‘remember’ Kratos after seeing him so you can spend time with you father as his son._

_Any more rules will be added as we think of them. You will know when one appears._

_PPs, it is two days before the oracle arrives. Pretend to be sick so you can read the book, your dad will believe you._

Lloyd took a deep breath and lay back down, tucking the book under his pillow as he did so. Not looking at that just yet. He stared at the ceiling for a bit until he heard his dad stomping up the stairs. He covered his ears. Did he have to be so loud?

Lloyd closed his eyes and curled into a ball on the bed.

Dirk came into the room. “Lloyd! Get up! Yer gonna be late fer school!” he walked over to the window and threw in open. He turned back to Lloyd and saw him curled up on the bed. “Lloyd? Ya haven’t slept curled up like that since ya were a babe. Are ya alright?”

Lloyd whimpered. “Stop shouting...” he whispered.

Dirk walked over to the bed. He spoke quietly. “Ah’m not shoutin’ son. Are ya feelin’ alright?”

Lloyd whimpered again. “Loud...”

Dirk laid a hand on Lloyd's forehead. “Ya don’t have a fever.”

Lloyd whimpered. “Please... stop yelling...”

Dirk sighed quietly and spoke as quietly as possible. “What’s wrong Lloyd?”

Lloyd tried to open his eyes but shut them again. “Mmm... bright....”

Dirk tiptoed across the room and shut the window again. “Is that better?”

Lloyd just whimpered. Dirk sighed and left the room.

Lloyd sighed in relief when Dirk left the room. Did he have to be so loud? He pulled the manual out and opened it up. The second page was a contents. There was only one other page at the moment. ‘Introduction.’ The page opposite the contents was blank

Lloyd turned the page and looked at the introduction.

Welcome to your manual, Lloyd.

This manual has been specially designed with you in mind. New bits of the manual will become available as you progress.

The first and foremost thing you need to know is that, while you can still learn everything you did before, you will need to train yourself to use them.

Your body is the same as it was before so you will need to learn everything again.

There is one change though.

Since your father was an angel, that makes you a half angel. You can’t access your wings just yet, you will be able to by the time you reach the Tower of Salvation if you train hard enough. Now, along with wings you also have heightened sense of sight, hearing and smell. It will take a while before you are used to it so be prepare for a lot of headaches.

There are also a lot of other things you should know.

All will be detailed in the manual. If you have any questions about anything in the manual you may consult us in the HELP section which has now become available at the back of the manual.

Lloyd looked at the back page and saw the ‘help’ page. He flipped back to the contents and saw the help page was now listed at the bottom of the page. He turned back to the introduction and carried on reading.

As you can see, new pages are listed on the contents and previously blank pages will gain writing as you unlock the contents.

You are the only person who can read this book. To anyone else it will appear to be in dwarfish. If they can read dwarfish it will appear as some other language that no one can recognise.

To save space we have decided to make the book interactive in a sense. Each page is one topic. To see further down the page, place your finger on the page and slide it up.

Lloyd realised this line was at the bottom of the page so he did as the book suggested and slid his finger up the page. He was slightly surprised when the text moved with his finger.

Good, you can also zoom in on something or make text bigger. Place to fingers on the screen and slide them away from each other.

There was something written below it but it was too small for Lloyd to read. He placed his finger and thumb on the screen and slid them away from each other. He smiled when the page ‘zoomed in’ on the smaller text, making it bigger.

To zoom back out, place two fingers on the screen and pull them closer together.

Lloyd did so.

While zoomed in you can move the screen around, such as if you are looking at a map and zoomed in to see more detail. Simply slide your finger across the screen to move the map, like you did with the text. Simple.

Now, turn the page and find out more about your gifts.

Lloyd turned the page.

The menu screen.

The menu screen is something we thought of that would substantially benefit you in the sub-sequential

_Hey, Keep it simple. We thought this would help in the future._

Yes... well said...

Lloyd blinked... two people? The second writing was the same as was on the letter on the first page but the first one was the same as the introduction...

Firstly, to close the menu, Just think – ‘Menu-close’. To open it, think ‘Menu-open’

Lloyd jumped back in surprise as boxes filled his vision. He stared at them for a moment before thinking ‘menu-close’. The boxes disappeared.

Lloyd sighed and read the ‘manual’. It got confusing at some points but Lloyd figured out what they meant quickly enough. It took nearly all day for him to figure out the menu and various other things these beings had done. Dirk came up a few times and brought Lloyd food. He didn’t eat any of it. He wasn’t really hungry and he really wanted to figure out this menu thing.

By evening Dirk sat down with Lloyd on his bed. He whispered. “How are ya feeling now lad?”

Lloyd sighed. “My head hurts a lot. It hurts to hear and see. Better than this morning though.”

Dirk nodded. “Good. Do ya think ya could eat somethin’? I don’t like seein’ ya not eat.”

Lloyd sighed. “I’m just not hungry...” He trailed off at the look on his dad’s face. “I can try.” He picked up the light stew his dad brought up and managed to finish it off, despite not being hungry. He sat back with a sigh and closed his eyes. Who knew it took so much effort to eat?

“You just rest up Lloyd. Ah’ll be downstairs fer a while before I head up ta bed myself. You come get me if ya need me.” Dirk patted Lloyd's leg under the covers and walked out the room.

Lloyd sighed and pulled out the manual. He read a bit more and when he heard his did snoring across the hall he picked up his swords and silently slipped out of the house via his balcony. He dropped down onto the floor and headed off into the forest.

He pulled them out and began moving slowly. The manual said his body was the same as it was at the beginning of the journey so Lloyd took it slowly and brought his body back up to where it should be. He trained himself hard and by the time the sun was poking above the horizon Lloyd felt rather accomplished.

He slipped back into his room silently, placed his swords back where he usually kept them and lay down in bed under the covers. Just in time as Dirk then poked his head around the door. He softly padded over and rested a hand on Lloyd's forehead. He took a sharp breath and left the room. He returned moments later with a damp cloth.

Lloyd opened his eyes and looked at Dirk. “Dad?”

Dirk smiled “Hush now, Lloyd. You just rest. Yer not well. I’ll bring ya in somethin to eat in a bit. You just rest.”

Lloyd nodded and Dirk laid the cloth over Lloyd’s head before leaving the room. Lloyd took the cloth off his head and scrubbed his face with his blanket. He had broken out in a sweat while training and he was warm from all the activity.

He spent the morning in bed but got bored lying down so he slowly made his way downstairs. Dirk was sitting at his sewing station making something. “Ah, Lloyd. How are ya feelin’?”

Lloyd smiled and nodded. “A lot better than yesterday. My head isn’t pounding and it doesn’t hurt to look at light.”

Dirk nodded. “Good. Are ya hungry?”

Lloyd wasn’t but he nodded anyway. “A bit yeah.”

Dirk smiled and headed into the kitchen. Lloyd looked at the forge. The coals were still fresh and the ash had been cleaned up. When Dirk came back in with food Lloyd asked, “The forge looks like it hasn’t been used today. Don’t you have any work to do? You’re always tinkering.”

Dirk smiled. “Ay, I am. But since ya had that monster headache yesterday I thought I should be quiet until ya recover. Ah’ve been sewin’. I thought it was about time I made ye some new clothes. Those ones are gettin’ a bit old now, even though they still fit ya. Take a look.” He lifted the clothes away from the sewing station and placed them on the table for Lloyd to see.

They looked cool. Instead of his trousers being held up by suspenders (Which Lloyd found to actually be an inconvenience at times) they were held by a belt with straps on either side for his hilts to be tied to. The red jacket was replaced by an ankle length red coat. It still had the silver studs and the white ribbons but it was an awesome coat instead of an awesome jacket. Lloyd grinned. “It’s cool. Thanks dad.”

Dirk smiled at Lloyd. “Glad ya like it. Why don’t ya take it upstairs with ya when ya’ve finished yer food and try it on?”

Lloyd nodded and did just that. It fit perfectly, just like all the clothes Dirk made for him. He glanced over at his swords and attached them. They fit the outfit perfectly. Lloyd then looked over at the manual. It had said something about an equip function? He opened the menu and looked at his equipment. He unequipped his wooden swords and they disappeared from around his waist. He grinned when he opened the inventory he had unlocked yesterday and his swords were in there. He found a number of other items in there already.

According to Destiny they were the items he had in his pockets before he died, minus the one of a kind items, weapons, anything that would kill history or things like that. It was mostly gels, bottles, potions and food. There were a few accessories and armour but nothing to extravagant. He was glad that the food would never go bad while it was in his inventory.

He did have a large sum of gald though. It turned out the gald was in his bag when he died so he now had all the money he and his friends collected. It would have been significantly less but Zelos kept it topped up with his money and Regal took some of his as well. Lloyd and Presea made a little bit of money selling wood carvings whenever they were in town since the two of them would sit by the fire and carve while they were on watch together.

Money had always been a problem for them while they were travelling. Especially when they were considered wanted criminals. Lloyd figured that since he had his inventory he might as well stock up on items to sell and Gald he gets so that when they needed it, they had the money to spend for food and weapons.

Lloyd stayed in his room for a few more hours but got bored again. He put the manual in his inventory along with his swords and went back downstairs. He told his dad he was going out for some fresh air and went out to Noishe’s pen. He petted the Arshis for a while.

He then walked out to the forest and trained for a little while. He came back tired but happy. He could move a lot easier now than he could when he woke up yesterday. When Dirk looked worriedly at him he just explained he had been walking around and ran into a wolf pack so he had to run a lot to get away.

He ate some food and went to bed that night feeling much better about things than he had yesterday. If he was going to be back in time he was going to make the most of it.

_“Kratie!”_

_“DAMN IT COFFEE BEAN I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!”_

_“Aww, you’re so mean to me~!”_

_“I’ll show you mean!”_

_“Anna! Kratos is being mean to me again!”_

_“Kratos! Leave Yuan alone! He and Botta came all the way here just to see us. Now stop threatening him. I will not have you killing my son’s Uncle. And Botta needs his father too. The poor boy is only ten.”_

_“....Yes Anna.”_

_“U’kle Yuan! Bobo!”_

_“Hello to you too Lloyd. How have you been?”_

_“Me been learnin’ how a fight wiv a sword yike daddy! Den me can ‘tect mommy too!”_

_“Really, is that so? Sounds like you’ve been busy. I hope you haven’t been giving mommy and daddy too hard a time.”_

_“Daddy say ah’m a yittle solder.”_

_“Haha, well, he definitely takes after Anna. No way you were ever this cute, Kratos.”_

_“Yuan, stop antagonising Kratos, this is why he threatens you. Now, who wants soup?”_

_“Is it tomato?”_

_“No, Kratos. I know you’re allergic. Now then, Lloyd, why don’t you show your Uncle Yuan and your cousin Botta how you can eat by yourself?”_

Lloyd opened his eyes and stared up at his ceiling. That dream was so real... he got out of bed and got dressed for the day. He went downstairs and surprised his dad since he was never up this early. It took him about half an hour to convince his dad to let him go to school. He was fine now and wanted to see Colette. He eventually convinced him by saying it was Colette’s birthday and he wanted to be there.

Lloyd gathered his things for school and put them in his inventory. We made his way through the forest, avoiding the wolves as he did so, and made it to school in good time.

He actually managed to arrive early. When he walked in the room everyone stared at him. He sighed and walked up to Raine. “Hey, Professor Raine. I’m sorry I wasn’t at school the last two days, I was ill.”

Raine eyed him critically and sighed. “Very well Lloyd. Just take your seat. Class will be starting soon.”

Lloyd nodded and sat in his seat. Genis was on his right and Colette was seated in front of him. They both turned to him and asked if he was alright. “Not really. But today is Colette’s birthday so I have to be here.”

Colette looked sad. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to be here for me. I-“

“Colette. Stop. It’s your sixteenth birthday. You’re going to receive the oracle today. There is no way I am missing this. I won’t leave you. Not for anything. You are one of my most precious people.” Lloyd glared at Colette until she smiled, ducked her head and apologised. He sighed and rolled his eyes at Genis who mimicked his movement.

Lloyd barely managed to pay attention in class. It seemed to be ages before the oracle arrived. Was it this long last time? Probably, he was asleep for a while last time. Finally there was a bright flash of light and Lloyd closed his eyes and turned his head. After the light died down Lloyd looked back out the window.

Raine called order quickly. “Everyone, settle down. It would seem that the time for the oracle has come. I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?” Raine dashed across the room to the door.

Colette stood up. “Professor! I’ll go with you.”

Raine stopped in the doorway. “No Colette. If it is the oracle the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else.” Raine turned around and ran out the door.

Everyone immediately started talking. Lloyd looked over at Genis and then walked over to the door. Genis ran up to him. “Lloyd! Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re sneaking out! Raine will get mad!”

Lloyd turned to Genis. “I’m really curious to find out what really happens to Colette when she receives the oracle. They always talk about the Chosen of Regeneration and the Day of Prophesy but no one tells us what really happens.”

Genis frowned. “But my sister said to stay and study by ourselves.”

Lloyd rolled his eyes. “Do you really think anyone is actually going to study right now? Besides, it’s research.”

Genis fumed. “That’s just an excuse!”

Lloyd turned to face Genis fully. “So? An excuse is an excuse. Don’t be so stuffy. You’re coming too right? Colette, wanna come along too?”

Colette looked around at the mention of her name. “Huh? Um, okay.” She stood up and walked over. “So where to?”

Lloyd rolled his eyes. “The temple. That was the oracle. There is nothing else that could make that light. You’re directly involved in all this. Aren’t you curious?”

Colette tilted her head. “Are you curious about it?”

Lloyd nodded. “Of course.”

Colette nodded. “Then I’ll be curious about it too.”

Lloyd sighed. “Colette, you don’t have to be curious just because I am. You can be curious on your own. Anyway, let’s get to the temple. Dwarven vow number one, let’s all work together for a peaceful world.”

Genis sighed. “Not the dwarven vows again, you always use those when you need an excuse.”

Lloyd ginned and led the other two out of the building. As they got outside Lloyd stopped. “It’s too quiet. Not even the birds... something must have scared them off...”

Genis looked around. “Where did everybody go?”

The three of them looked over when someone called Colette’s name. They looked over and Lloyd was relieved to see Frank. Just because nothing happened the first time didn’t mean something wouldn’t happen the second time. “Frank! Are you alright? What happened?”

“Yes, I’m alright. I’m glad you’re all okay. Everyone’s hiding. The Desians invaded the village just a short while ago. Thankfully no one was hurt. They passed through the village and headed for the temple.”

Genis scowled. “Why?! Iselia has a non-aggression peace-treaty with the Desians!”

Lloyd frowned. “A better question would be ‘where is Phaedra?’”

Frank’s eyes widened. “Phaedra is at the temple preparing for the ritual.”

Lloyd nodded. “Right. Let’s go then. The sooner we get there the better.”

Genis tilted his head. “But why would the Desians break the non-aggression treaty?”

Lloyd shook his head. “We pose no threat to them in the first place. The treaty wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. Now come on. We have to get to the temple.” Lloyd walked quickly to the village exit and Genis and Colette followed.

Frank nodded. “You three be careful. I’ll wait at the house. You three come back immediately if anything happens.”

Lloyd nodded and walked over to the exit. A small message came up on the corner of his vision. ‘ _Colette has joined the party_.’ followed by ‘ _Genis has joined the party_.’

As they left the village they encountered a zombie which Lloyd took care of in one hit. A zombie and a ghost came up and Lloyd took out the zombie with one hit and threw a demon fang at the ghost. Luckily it hit and the ghost vanished.

Colette and Genis stared in awe. Colette clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Wow, Lloyd, that was amazing!”

Lloyd grinned at them. “Well, I do have to fight my way through the Iselia forest just to get to school every day.”

Colette nodded. “Oh, right yeah. But still. That was cool. You’re really strong Lloyd!”

Lloyd shook his head. “I could be better. Anyway, we have to hurry!” ‘ _Lloyd obtained the title: modest swordsman_ ’ ‘‘ _Titles’ is now available in the manual_.’

Lloyd promised to look over that later.

The trek to the temple didn’t take long, especially with Lloyd taking care of the monsters so quickly. About half way there Colette tripped and fell. Lloyd and Genis both turned and looked at her.

Genis knelt down next to her. “Colette? Are you okay?”

Colette stood up and dusted herself off. “Yes. I’m fine. I’m used to falling.”

Lloyd shook his head. “You’re such a klutz Colette.”

Colette just giggled.

‘ _Colette obtained the title: Klutz_ ’

When they got to the temple they looked up the steps at it.

“Whoa. That light really is coming from the temple.” Lloyd stared up.

Genis nodded. “Then an oracle is going to be conveyed. Colette’s going to be the chosen of Regeneration.”

Lloyd and Genis both turned to Colette who was staring up at the light shielding her eyes from the worst of it to see how high up it went.

“It’s really, really bright!” she gasped.

Lloyd sweat-dropped and Genis shrugged in exasperation.

Lloyd sighed but grinned at Colette. “Never change, Colette.” He turned to look up the stairs. “We should go.” He ran up them with Genis and Colette following. When he got to the top he stopped and stared at the men in front of him. “Botta?”

The man turned around. “Should I know you?”

Lloyd chuckled and nodded. “I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me. I was three when we last met. I’m Yuan’s nephew.”

Botta narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, clearly not believing him.

Lloyd sighed. “I used to call you Bobo.”

Botta jerked back and his eyes widened. “Lloyd?”

Lloyd nodded. “Yup.”

Botta shook his head. “You’re alive?”

Lloyd shook his head. “No. Clearly I died. You’re talking to a ghost.”

Botta tipped his head back and laughed. Lloyd stepped forwards away from Colette and Genis who were looking on in confusion. Botta grabbed Lloyd and pulled him into a hug, ruffling his hair. “It’s good to see you, little cousin. I could have sworn you had died.”

Lloyd pulled back slightly. “No. I did get thrown head first off a cliff though. So, how’s life with the Renegades? Your dad still the same?”

Botta sighed. “For the most part yes, but we all miss your mother. She was an amazing woman, always brought out the best in everyone.”

Lloyd nodded. “Yeah... I wish I could remember more of her... the two memories I have... one is not good and the other I can’t really remember much...”

Botta sighed and hugged Lloyd again. “I understand. So, where have you been all these years?”

Lloyd grinned. “I got adopted by a dwarf! My dad, Dirk. He takes good care of me, and Noishe.”

Botta smiled. “Oh, Noishe is still alive? I had though he had died too.”

Lloyd nodded. “Nah, he’s still kicking. Anyway, enough sentimental stuff. What brings you out here?”

Botta looked back at the temple. “We have come to kill the chosen.”

Lloyd winced and stepped back to be closer to Colette and Genis. “Yeah... I can’t let you do that. See, The Chosen happens to be one of my best friends so... I’m gonna have to stop you.”

Botta narrowed his eyes. “And you realise I cannot allow that?”

Lloyd nodded. “Seems we’re on the same page.” He drew his swords. “Prepare yourself!” He dashed forwards and slashed at Botta, who jumped back and drew his sword. The other renegades charged forwards and Lloyd quickly took them out. He and Botta fought for a minute, each dodging the others attacks when Botta managed to get a shot in when Lloyd was unable to get his body to move fast enough. Genis and Colette had managed to get around them to Phaedra and were throwing their respective attacks from a distance.

He jumped back and held on arm against his gut where there was a large slash. Just as Botta was about to slam the side of his blade into Lloyd's head to knock him out a purple blur appeared from nowhere and blacked his sword. Botta jumped backwards to avoid the counter strike and stared at the newcomer. “Damn. I didn’t think you would show up. I’ll retreat for now. Lloyd, it was good to see you again.”

Lloyd nodded. “You too Botta. Tell Coffee Bean I said hi.”

Botta laughed and nodded. “I will.” He turned to Colette and scowled. “You are the chosen?” Colette nodded. “The next time we meet, I will kill you.” Botta turned and ran down the steps.

Lloyd called after him. “You know I won’t let you do that!”

Botta called something up the steps and Lloyd laughed before he doubled over and dropped his swords. “Ow.”

The purple guy knelt down next to Lloyd. “Hold still. First aid.”

Lloyd sighed as he felt the wound heal. “Thanks.” He looked up into the face of... his father. His eyes widened. “Dad?”

Kratos jerked back. “Lloyd?”

Lloyd scowled and punched Kratos in the face. “Where the HELL have you been?! _Fourteen years_ I’ve waited for you! FOURTEEN YEARS!! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!”

Kratos gulped and cast a quick first aid at his broken nose. “Lloyd, I-“

“Do you have ANY idea what I went through?! I lost _EVERYTHING_!” tears started to creep down Lloyd's face but he ignored them on favour of shouting at Kratos. Saying everything he wanted to say before the man died. Before he released Origin’s seal and died in his arms. Before Lloyd buried him next to his mother. “You left me all alone in a forest next to a Desian human ranch! I would have died if dad hadn’t found me! Where the Hell were you when I needed you?!”

Lloyd took a deep breath to continue yelling but froze when Kratos pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry, Lloyd. I tried to find you... I looked... I tried...”

Lloyd sniffed and tentatively wrapped his arms around Kratos. “Not hard enough... we were at the bottom of the cliff... you could have found us...”

Kratos shook his head. “There were too many Desians... by the time I killed the ones that didn’t run away and got down to the bottom of the cliff... all I found was one of your shoes... a lot of blood... bits of Desians... there was a wolf pack cleaning up... I thought for sure...”

Lloyd shook his head and buried it in Kratos’ shoulder. “A dwarf found me and took me home. He built a house and buried mum next to it. He adopted me...”

Kratos stiffened. “I see...”

Lloyd relaxed into Kratos’ arms and started crying. He had never been hugged by the man before. The closest they had come to this was when Lloyd was holding Kratos’ lifeless body. Lloyd took a shaky breath, held Kratos tighter and cried harder. He had wanted Kratos to hug him since he found out Kratos was his father. The idiot believed that since Lloyd had Dirk he wouldn’t want him around or trying to be a father.

“Da-Daddy!”


	3. And So, Our Story Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is not finished. Just to warn you.

Lloyd looked around the entrance hall of the temple. It had a very different feel to it than the first time he came. The first time he arrived here the temple was exciting. Now... he knew its purpose... he knew about the journey... the temple was very different than before.

He looked over to Colette. Now that he was looking for it he could see how scared she was. He would be scared too, knowing that this was his last day as a free man and that he would soon be marching to his death. But even still, she was acting like nothing was wrong, like everything would be okay. She really was such an amazingly strong person.

Lloyd looked around the room again and nodded towards the middle passage. “Forwards?”

The other three nodded and they set off down the middle passage. They quickly found the way blocked and ended up having to go a different way. Lloyd looked down the two passages and chose the one that he didn’t go down the last time he was here. All that was there was a few rooms for the priests to change and bathe in. None of those rooms interested them at that moment so they went the other way.

They found the steps leading down and a few giant spiders lurking at the other end of the hall. Lloyd held his arm out, stopping Kratos from just smashing the web. He looked at the spider silk blocking the hallway and pulled out a spool that was conveniently located in his inventory. He quickly and methodically began collecting the spider silk that wasn’t coated in the sticky substance spiders use to trap prey. When the spiders themselves launched at him he killed them quickly, putting their carcases in his inventory. He would harvest the venom later.

Once he had collected all the non-sticky web he instructed Genis to burn the rest of it. Genis looked at him funny. “Why didn’t you just let me burn it all in the first place?”

Lloyd tilted his head to one side. “Acromantula silk is really rare and really valuable. The sticky bits are almost impossible to harvest properly and you need special equipment I don’t have but the non-sticky silk can be harvested with a simple spool and is used for a lot of things.”

Genis and Colette looked at him funny.

Lloyd sighed. “Just because I can’t do maths doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about anything. I know about monsters. I know what parts of them are useful and what parts aren’t. As a blacksmith I need to know what I can use to make things with, where to find them and how to get them, how much they’re worth and how much I can charge for them.”

Kratos nodded. “That may be so but not many people think to use spider web to make things.”

Lloyd shook his head. “It’s not _spider web_. It’s _Acromantula silk_. There is a _difference_. Anyway, let’s get going.” They encountered more spiders on their way down and each time they were dealt with in the same way. Lloyd didn’t bother putting the zombies, the slimes or the two skeletons in his inventory. There was nothing he could harvest from them.

He ended up with a large number of Acromantula in his inventory. As they descended into the lower floor Lloyd inwardly spazed over the golem. He wasn’t looking at it properly the first time around but now that he was, he saw it was made of golemite. He walked up to it while the other’s where looking over the edge at the sorcerers ring. He was careful not to touch it but it was hard to resist. Golemite was an incredibly rare mineral. It was virtually worthless for anything except crafting golems but the rarity of it made it more valuable.

“Um... Lloyd? What are you doing?”

Lloyd glanced up at Genis who was staring at him like he was insane. “Just admiring the craftsmanship. Although... if whoever built this was rich enough to afford golemite... they could have at least hired a decent crafter. This thing is shoddily built and with a rare and highly valuable material. It’s a waste or a rare and valuable material! If they were going to hire such a bad craftsman they could have gone with clay, it would actually have given better results since it is easier to work with so amateurs like the idiot who built this can get better results.”

Lloyd noticed the way Kratos blushed lightly and looked to the side for a second. Wait... did his dad make it? Lloyd shook his head and turned back to the golem, which was still just sitting, deactivated. He drew one of his swords and charged an arte. He gave the golem a poke with one foot and when it stood up he stabbed his sword forwards, the blade encased in a torrent of water. “ ** _Aqua Thrust_**!” he pulled his other sword out and aimed for the week spot he had created. “ ** _Sword rain_** _!_ ” he leapt backwards and ducked under the spinning blades of water that flew over his head at Kratos’ hastily cast _Aqua edge_.

The golem went down. Lloyd walked over to it and watched it morph into a cube. “Ah, cleaver. A solid form with a shapeshift failsafe. That would explain the shoddy workmanship, they were more focused on the secondary attributes. And it explains the golemite too, it’s better for enchanting than clay. Only the more skilled crafters bother with enchanting them usually since it’s hard to learn but golem crafting went out of fashion about a thousand years ago so most of the more intricate workings are lost to the ages. This one is tricky, it heals in this form and is indestructible too. It takes no damage. In fact, it heals faster if you hit it. Now... where is it...?”

Lloyd looked the cube over. The golem had been a real pain the last time, it had healed itself while it was in this form and when they had come back up with the sorcerers ring it had caught them by surprise and Genis had been hurt badly. Then they had gone the wrong way up, got trapped and had to pass the bloody thing again. He walked around it and examined it from all sides. Oh, there it was. The manual override. He poked at it for a moment and the golem collapsed into a pile of ore. “Done.” He placed the ore into his inventory and grinned. “That takes care of that. Let’s go get the sorcerers ring.”

The other three nodded dumbly and followed him down. Kratos quickly took the lead when Lloyd stopped partway down the staircase to examine what it was made of. He didn’t recognise it and he didn’t want to break it so he decided to leave it alone. When they got to the bottom of the staircase Lloyd saw something unusual. There was a runic circle on the floor. ‘’ _Saving’ is now available in the manual_.’ Lloyd promised to go over that later. He noticed that no one else had noticed the circle and shrugged, moving to catch up with the others. He looked over the sorcerers ring. It was just as cool as last time.

A quick glance at the others had Lloyd thinking. If he changed too much, too fast his friends might not trust him. He would have to make more effort to act like he always did before the journey.

Genis looked impressed. “Is this the sorcerers ring? I’ve heard about it before. It’s a holy artefact of the Church of Martel!”

Kratos nodded. “We should be able to deal with most traps and obstacles with this.”

Lloyd grinned. “Wow! Let me try it!”

Colette smiled and nodded. “Okay Lloyd.” she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

Genis shrugged with one arm like he usually did when he was exasperated with Lloyd. “You’re such a kid.”

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at Genis. Kratos rolled his eyes and the four of them made their way back up. When they got to the barrier Lloyd held his arm up and fired the sorcerers ring. It shot a pathetic little ball of fire at the barrier which sizzled away and vanished. Lloyd sweatdropped. “Really? That’s it? That was disappointing.” he turned to Genis. “Your fireballs are way bigger.” He slipped the ring into his inventory without anyone else noticing. It wasn’t like they used it all that often. More often than not they forgot they even had it. “That was way too anticliming.”

Genis blinked. “Umm... I think you mean ‘anticlimactic’.”

Lloyd blushed. “Whatever.” He turned and walked down the hallway. They walked up a flight of stairs and through a door into the altar room.

Kratos looked around, “This appears to be the top floor.”

Colette nodded. “Yes. That’s the altar.”

Lloyd looked at her and realised she was nervous. It made sense that she would be. Lloyd looked down at the altar. “Then that’s your Cruxis Crystal?”

Colette smiled at Lloyd. “That’s right. They say I was born with that in my hand.”

Genis looked up in surprise. “Look at that light!”

Lloyd looked up and had to quickly duck his head and close his eyes. Even still the brightness hurt his eyes. How did Kratos and Remiel deal with this? How could they bare to have such bright lights shone around them? He looked up when the light dimmed and it took all of his self control not to jump up there and kill the bastard. “An angel...” it was hard to keep the contempt out of his voice.

Kratos nodded. “So it would seem.”

Genis looked over at Colette. “So is that Colette’s real father?”

Lloyd shook his head. “No. They look completely different. Colette looks a lot like Frank even though she looks so much like her mother. She can’t be related to this guy.”

The douche nodded. “Indeed. I am Remiel. I am an angel of judgement.” Lloyd glanced down as Colette’s Cruxis Crystal floated up and hovered in the air, turning and positioning itself before holding still. Remiel the douche floated down to hover behind it. “The time has come to awaken the Goddess Martel who sleeps in the centre of the world.”

Genis looked over at Lloyd. “Awaken the Goddess Martel... it’s just like the legend Raine told us about.” he was way too excited about it.

Colette’s Cruxis Crystal started floating towards her. It was moving way too slowly though he supposed if it was a sudden movement then that would be worse. He grabbed Colette’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. The crystal burst in a bright light on Colette’s chest. When the light faded, they could all see the crystal grafted onto Colette’s skin and a kind of Key Crest surrounding it.

Remiel smiled but Lloyd could see it wasn’t a kind smile. It was greedy. “From this moment, Colette becomes the Chosen of regeneration. We of Cruxis bless this event and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant.” They all looked over and saw the tower visible in the distance.

Looking out into the distance Lloyd noticed he could see much further than he ever could before. He supposed that was his angel vision. Looking at outdoors hurt, though, so he turned his attention back inside. “So that’s the Tower of Salvation.”

Genis grinned. “Now the world will be saved!”

Lloyd felt his eye twitch and he gently squeezed Colette’s hand again.

Remiel looked down at them. “Colette. The Chosen of Regeneration.”

Colette closed her eyes and squeezed Lloyd's hand before letting go and clasping her hands in front of her chest. “I humbly accept this task.”

Remiel nodded. “Very good. We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock.” Lloyd hid a grimace at the thought of Colette going through the angel transformation. He had already gone through a part of it and that was hard enough, plluss he remembered what happened to her the first time. “Once you are reborn as an angel this eroded world shall be regenerated.”

Colette nodded slightly. “Thank you. I swear on my life, I will regenerate the world.”

Lloyd cast Colette a glance. Considering she was going to die anyway... he blinked. No! He was not going to let Colette die!

Remiel nodded. “First, head south to the seal of fire. Offer your prayers in that distant land.”

Colette nodded. “Yes lord Remiel.”

Remiel nodded and flew off out the ceiling. Lloyd shut his eyes and turned his head down at the bright light before looking back up and grinning at Colette.

Genis sighed. “So that was the oracle... I wish Raine could have seen him.”

Lloyd nodded. “She’ll be sad she missed this.”

Genis stepped up to Colette and Lloyd moved over to Kratos. The man looked distracted. “Colette must now go on a long journey to search for those seals.”

Lloyd nodded and lent against the window. “Yeah.”

Kratos shook his head. “You’ve received the oracle. Then let us leave now, chosen.”

Colette and Genis turned around. Colette nodded. “Oh, right. Come on guys.”

They headed down the stairs. As they walked Genis sighed. “I can’t believe the rumour was false.”

Lloyd looked at him. “What rumour?”

“That Colette is the daughter of an angel and is not really related to her current father.”

Lloyd frowned. “Even if you’re not related by blood, family is family. At least, that’s what I think.”

Genis ducked his head. “I-I’m sorry.”

Lloyd shook his head. “Hey, don’t worry about it.”

They walked into the main room and spotted Raine looking around the room. “MARVELOUS!”

Lloyd tilted his head. “Professor?”

Raine jumped and turned around. “Oh! What? That are you three doing here? You’re supposed to be studying in class!”

Lloyd stepped in front of Genis. “Sorry Professor. That was my fault. I dragged them out here.”

Raine scowled and looked furious. “Lloyd...” she growled. She stepped forwards and tried to kick him in the chest.

Lloyd jumped backwards and avoided her foot at the last minute. “Whoa! Professor, easy! I got stabbed recently!”

Raine froze. She then actually looked at Lloyd. Lloyd looked down at himself. While the wound was almost completely healed (He was sure Kratos hadn’t healed it to the best of his abilities so as not to blow his cover and hadn’t had a chance to heal him again since) his jacket was destroyed along with his shirt beneath it and there was dried blood all over his stomach. Thankfully neither of his suspenders had been cut or his trousers would have been falling down the entire time.

Raine gasped and stepped closer, casting first aid as she did. “What happened?”

Lloyd shrugged. “I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story and not one I want to have here. What are you doing here anyway?”

She looked him over sceptically. “I have received permission from Phaidra to study the temple for a while. It’s not often that ordinary citizens are allowed to enter this place.”

Lloyd nodded. “Right... why would you want to look at a stuffy old building?”

Raine scowled. “Lloyd!” She lifted her leg and kicked Lloyd faster than he could react.

Lloyd shouted out as he flew backwards into a wall, pain shot through his stomach and he screamed.

Raine gasped. “Ah! Lloyd!” the four of them dashed forwards and Raine and Kratos both started casting first aids at Lloyd. “Lloyd, I’m sorry! Lloyd, I...”

Lloyd shook his head. “S’okay...” he took a deep breath and sighed when there was no pain at all. He stood up, bracing himself on Kratos and hesitated a moment before standing on his own. “I’m fine. You two are good healers.”

Kratos shook his head. “Let’s get back to the village.”

Lloyd nodded. “See you later, Professor Raine.” Raine nodded absentmindedly as she had just spotted a carving on the wall. As the four of them left the building there was the sound of maniacal laughter from within the temple and they all turned around. “Um, Genis?”

The midget mage sighed. “It’s best if you pretend you don’t hear it.”

Lloyd stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay...” they headed down the steps and headed towards the village. On the way there a pair of wolves showed up. “Where did they come from?” Lloyd asked as he slit the throat of the first wolf.

“No idea.” Kratos answered, cutting the throat of the second wolf.

Lloyd sealed them both into his inventory and they carried on. Each time they came across monsters they took them out. Lloyd placed almost all of them into his inventory each time. By the time they made it to the village Lloyd was sure they had taken out the entire southern pack, besides a few omega and the pups. He frowned when he realised that the pups and omega’s would no longer have anyone to hunt for them and would starve to death since no pack takes in extra omega, though they might, by a slim chance, take in the pups.

He shook his head and smiled as Colette ran off as soon as they got to the village, Genis running after her. Lloyd chuckled and followed at a more sedate pace, Kratos falling into step beside him. He glanced up at the taller man before looking back down. He cast a sideway glance at the man’s hand and sighed quietly before shaking his head.

They got to Colette’s house in no time and walked inside. He frowned when he saw the mayor already there. Oh, how he hated that man. Lloyd chose to ignore his existence for now. “Frank. Phaidra, good to see you made it back here okay. I was a kind of worried when we came across all those wolves on the way back just now.”

Phaidra smiled at him. “Thank you, Lloyd. And you as well, sir. I’m glad you showed up when you did.”

Kratos bowed his head silently. Lloyd chuckled. “That’s ‘Kratos’ for ‘You’re welcome’.”

The mayor looked the man over. “Who are you?”

Kratos looked slightly disdainfully down at the man. “I am Kratos, a mercenary.”

Lloyd looked up at Kratos. He knew the man was an agent of Cruxis. Kratos must suspect he knew since he recognised him straight away. He frowned slightly and Kratos gave him a ‘we’ll talk later’ look. Lloyd frowned further but nodded and turned away.

The mayor looked Kratos over. “You any good?”

Lloyd laughed. “Mayor, he’s better than all five of the Desian grand cardinals. The only one on Sylvarant who would give him a _challenge_ is the leader of the renegades.”

The mayor looked the mercenary up and down another time before nodding. “Very well then. You are to accompany the chosen on her journey.”

Kratos nodded. “Very well.” He looked sideways at Lloyd and frowned slightly.

Lloyd jerked backwards slightly in shock. “Dad...” he whispered. He closed his eyes and looked down. He agreed so quickly. Without hesitation. “It’s fine.” He turned and left the house. He walked a little way down the steps and braced himself against the Brunel’s fence. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes tightly.

“Lloyd.”

He turned and saw Kratos standing in the door frame. Lloyd shook his head. “No, it’s fine, da-Kratos, really. I understand. You’re a mercenary. You have a life. You don’t need me butting myself in. It’s alright. I-I understand you don’t want me. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I’m sorry.” He turned and ran. ‘ _Lloyd has left the party._ ’ He ran out of the village, past the guards and Noishe, past the forest that would take him home and kept running straight.

He staggered to a stop and collapsed to his knees about an hour later. He knelt their and cried out. Even Kratos knowing he was his son, and knowing Lloyd knew he was his dad, the man _still_ didn’t want him. He would still leave him right away. Maybe this was why he didn’t say anything the first time around. He wasn’t trying to protect him or anything noble like that. He just _didn’t want him_.

Lloyd heard a quiet whine and looked to see Noishe trotting over. He smiled at the Arshis and buried his face in the dog’s fur. “At least you like me, Noishe.” He chocked slightly. “You’re not going to leave me are you? Now that you’ve found him again? You’re not going to go with him are you?”

The giant dog shook his head and blew gently on Lloyd's hair. Lloyd laughed and hugged the beast harder. He sniffled and smiled. “Let’s go home, Noshy.” He pulled himself onto the dog’s back and Noishe walked back towards the village. It took nearly two hours since they were in no rush and Lloyd had run a long distance.

On the way there Lloyd pulled out his manual and looked over the new pages. Titles and saving.

Titles

Titles are something people you meet will call you by. They are obtained by performing various deeds or accomplishments throughout your lifetime. Each title comes with different aspects that affect your stats.

‘ _Stats is now available in the manual’_

Some titles can affect how the people around you act or react towards you, for example; a title tied in with bandit activities would cause people to react with fear, while a title tied in with the church would have people looking towards you for guidance.

Titles can be found in the ‘Status’ section of the menu and can be changed at any time.

Lloyd hummed slightly and opened the menu, finding a new option tab at the top but it was greyed out. He closed the menu and opened his manual again.

Stats

Stats are numbers that indicate a person’s skill level in any given subject. They are Attack, Special Attack, Defence, Special Defence, Speed, Stamina, Luck, Dexterity, Health Points and Mana Points. The higher the number, the better they are in that area.

Attack: How strong a person’s physical attacks are.  
Special Attack: How strong a person’s magical attacks or artes are.  
Defence: How strong a person’s physical Defence is. The higher their defence, the less affected they are by physical attacks and artes.  
Special Defence: How strong a person’s Special Defence is. The higher their Special Defence, the less affected they are by magic.  
Speed: Reflexes, movement speed, reaction time.  
Stamina: How long they  can go before getting tired.  
Luck: The chances of landing a critical hit, finding an opening or weak point, finding rare items, etc.  
Dexterity: How easily they can dodge and avoid attacks and their flexibility.  
Health Points: How many times they can get hit before being unable to fight anymore.  
Mana Points: How many Artes and spells they can use.

‘ _Stats now available in the menu_ ’ Lloyd hummed and flipped through to saving.

Saving.

Saving is a feature available only to you. No one else can see the save rings and no one will notice you using one. Some save rings can heal you but most wont. The one that can heal you will be green as opposed to white. Saving means that if you die, you will go back to that point.

You can also save at any point by writing in the journal at the back of the Manual. You can use your journal to keep track of what you have done already and what you need to do next.

_‘Journal function now available._ ’

Lloyd hummed again and opened the manual, finding the status tab now open like the others he flipped to it and looked down the page. The only one in the party right now was him.

Lloyd Irving.  
Novice Swordsman  
HP: 76 (2340)  
MP: 40 (200)  
Attack: 27 (178)  
Special Attack: 32 (157)  
Defence: 30 (120)  
Special Defence: 19 (78)  
Speed: 56 (97)  
Stamina: 98 (1350)  
Dexterity: 43 (60)  
Luck: 3

Lloyd’s eye twitched. Was his luck really that bad? Well... he died... enough said...

He sighed and leant backwards, closing the manual and looking up at a hawk circling overhead. How did things get this messed up? He shook his head. So what? He was back in time and had to do the entire journey again without letting anyone know? That was going to be hard. When he began the journey he had a sense of childish wonder that didn’t really vanish until he found out what was happening to Colette at each of the seals.

He only started to grow up then but he felt he had matured pretty quickly after that, with what happened at the tower, being selected by unspoken agreement to be the leader and having everyone’s expectations on him to lead the way... everyone asked him what to do next... they looked to him for guidance...

He lay back against Noishe’s back and put his hands behind his head. It was a lot of pressure and he grew up pretty fast. “I don’t know if I can go back to how things were before... I don’t know if I can pretend to be the innocent kid I was at the beginning.”

Noishe made a sound of query.

“Don’t worry about it Noishe. Let’s just get back home. Dad’ll be waiting.” It left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth that he didn’t know which dad he was referring to, but actually hoped it was neither. He just wanted to be alone right now.

Lloyd sat up sharply, suddenly remembering. “The ranch! Genis! Hurry Noishe!” Noishe leapt forward and charged towards the village, the ground flying beneath his paws. He turned sharply, heading into the forest and up towards the ranch.

They skidded to a stop just outside it and Lloyd stopped to listen. He could hear all the prisoners inside, pushing blocks, the occasional crack of a whip with harsh words he could barely make out. He climbed off Noishe and headed down the path, the Arshis keeping low and following.

Lloyd sighed and a loud rustling in the bushes and hushed voices told him he was too late. He cursed and crept forwards. “Genis!” he hissed. “What the hell are you doing here? If they catch you, you’re dead!”

Genis turned around and stifled a gasp. “Lloyd! Don’t do that!”


End file.
